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Biomedical subjects

A Cantoni

Publications and source records attributed to A Cantoni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Predictors of symptom resolution in panic disorder after one year of pharmacological treatment: a naturalistic study.

OBJECTIVE: In this naturalistic and prospective study, patients with panic disorder (PD) were treated for one year 1) to verify the rate of patients achieving the resolution of full-symptom attacks, limited-symptom attacks, anticipatory anxiety, phobic avoidance and depression; and 2) to identify the predictors of symptom resolution for each domain. METHOD: One hundred patients with PD, according to DSM-IV criteria, participated in the study. In all patients, a baseline and a follow-up with monthly evaluations of SCL-90, Ham-A, Ham-D and panic diaries were carried out over a one-year period. All patients were treated with paroxetine or citalopram. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients completed the study, whereas the remaining 29 dropped out. Among completers, remission of full- and limited-symptom panic attacks was observed in 76 % of patients, whereas complete remission (resolution of panic attacks, anticipatory anxiety, phobic anxiety, and depression) was achieved by only 46 % of patients. Predictors of absence of symptom remissions were obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and recurrent major depression (MD) comorbidity (for panic attacks), pre-treatment severity of anxious symptoms (for anticipatory anxiety), phobic anxiety (for phobic avoidance), and depressive symptoms (for depression). CONCLUSION: This naturalistic study shows that the high comorbidity of OCD and MD and the greater pre-treatment severity of anxious, phobic and depressive symptoms reduced the likelihood of achieving complete remission of symptoms in PD patients who completed the protocol, even though they were adequately treated with SSRI medication.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The effect of temperament and character on response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in panic disorder.

OBJECTIVE: In this prospective study, temperament and character were evaluated in patients with panic disorder (PD), before 1 year of medication therapy, to verify whether these factors influenced the outcome of treatment. METHOD: Seventy-one PD patients were evaluated with the SCID-IV, the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the SCL-90, the Ham-A and the Ham-D. Patients were treated with pharmacotherapy and were evaluated monthly over 1 year. RESULTS: Before treatment, non-remitted patients showed higher levels of harm avoidance (HA) and lower levels of persistence (P), self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (C), whereas remitted patients showed only higher levels of HA. After controlling the effect of the confounding variables, the likelihood to achieve remission was positively related to SD score (OR = 1.12; P = 0.002), particularly 'self-acceptance' SD dimension (OR = 1.30; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that in PD: i) the evaluation of personality, using the Cloninger's model, confirms the presence of personality pathology as one predictor of non-response to treatment; ii) in patients with low SD a combination of medication and cognitive-behaviour therapy should be the most effective treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A model for phase noise generation in amplifiers.

In this paper, a model is presented for predicting the phase modulation (PM) and amplitude modulation (AM) noise in bipolar junction transistor (BJT) amplifiers. The model correctly predicts the dependence of phase noise on the signal frequency (at a particular carrier offset frequency), explains the noise shaping of the phase noise about the signal frequency, and shows the functional dependence on the transistor parameters and the circuit parameters. Experimental studies on common emitter (CE) amplifiers have been used to validate the PM noise model at carrier frequencies between 10 and 100 MHz.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

[Peripartum dilatative cardiomyopathy. Case report with literature review].

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of heart failure affecting women in the last month of pregnancy or the first six months post-partum. The etiology of PPCM remains poorly understood although some risk factors were described. Diagnosis is often difficult and is always necessary to exclude other prior heart disease and other cause of left ventricular dysfunction in pregnancy. Medical therapy for PPCM is similar to that for other forms of congestive heart failure; prognosis is better than in idiopathic cardiomyopathy but many authors observed that women who have had one episode of PPCM are likely to have recurrences in subsequent pregnancies. The present report describes the case of a woman presenting with severe cardiac failure immediately after cesarean section for twin pregnancy. The patient is a 35-year-old nulliparous white woman, with history of anorexia, subsequent amenorrhea, sterility and pregnancy induced with Gn-Rh. The diagnosis of PPCM was difficult for the presence of preeclampsia and acute pulmonary edema occurred four hours after delivery. The successful outcome was possible with an intensive treatment (mechanical ventilation, Swan-Ganz catheter). The whole resolution of the heart failure, six months post-partum, was demonstrated by ultrasonography.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Liver abscesses due to Listeria monocytogenes.

Involvement of the liver in cases of Listeria monocytogenes is uncommon. We report a case of hepatitis due to L. monocytogenes, with a pathological finding of multiple abscesses. Blood cultures yielded L. monocytogenes. The patient died a few days after admission.

Fatal Outcome↗
PubMed1995

Randomized trials of radiotherapy alone versus combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy in stages IIIa and IIIb nonsmall cell lung cancer. A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: For patients with Stage III nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), radiation is the standard treatment, but survival remains poor. The authors performed a meta-analysis study using clinical trials that evaluated combined radiotherapy plus chemotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in patients with Stages IIIa and IIIb NSCLC: METHODS: For the meta-analysis study and the point estimates, essential data were extracted directly from published reports. RESULTS: Survival probabilities at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, as estimated from published survival curves, were considered as the endpoints of interest. For survival at 3 and 5 years, the point estimates and the confidence intervals were used. Quality scoring of the studies also was performed. Fourteen trials were selected, comprising 1887 patients in the meta-analysis. For the cisplatin-based group, the estimated pooled odds ratio of death at 1 and 2 years was 0.76 (0.6-0.9 CI) and 0.70 (0.5-0.9 CI), with a reduction in mortality of 24% and 30%, respectively. For the noncisplatin-based group, the estimated pooled odds ratio at 1 and 2 years was 1.05 (0.7-1.5 CI) and 0.82 (0.5-1.3 CI), with a reduction in mortality of 5% and 18%, respectively. However, no significant differences were found between the percentage of survival and the CI at 3 and 5 years using the point estimates. CONCLUSIONS: These results favor combined cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy, although it was not so at 3 and 5 years of survival. These data must, however, be considered in the light of their clinical relevance and of the balance between quality of life, toxicity, and costs of chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1995

Single-agent chemotherapy versus combination chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a quality and meta-analysis study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate the quality of the studies and to compare single-agent with combination chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. DESIGN: Identification of published randomized trials and extraction of essential results directly from the published reports. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Survival probability at 1 year, as estimated from the published survival curves, has been considered as the end-point of interest. Quality scoring of the studies has also been performed. Arithmetical calculation, concerning the estimation of quantities necessary for the meta-analysis of the literature, has been addressed. The estimated pooled Odds Ratio of death was 0.8, with 95% confidence interval of 0.6-1.0, thus favoring combination chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our meta-analysis favor combination chemotherapy. They must, however, be considered in the light of their clinical relevance and of the balance between quality of life, toxicity and costs of chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1994

Chemotherapy vs supportive care in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Results of a meta-analysis of the literature.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To contribute to the current debate about the relative merits of meta-analysis of the literature (MAL) and of individual patients data (MAP). DESIGN: Identification of published randomized trials and extraction of essential results directly from the published reports. SETTING: Chemotherapy vs supportive care in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Survival probability at 6 months after randomization, as estimated from the published survival curves, has been considered as the end-point of interest. Quality scoring of the studies has also been performed. Specific methodologic issues concerning the estimation of relevant quantities necessary for the MAL have been addressed. The estimated pooled odds ratio of death was 0.44, with 95 percent confidence interval of 0.32 to 0.59, thus significantly favoring chemotherapy, and it corresponds to an estimated increase in median survival from 3.9 months for best supportive care to 6.7 for chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our MAL, favoring chemotherapy, are in line with those of a MAP recently published. However, they have to be considered in the light of their actual clinical relevance and of the balance between quality of life, toxicity, and costs of chemotherapy and best supportive care.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1993

Study of the HLA-DP beta 1 locus by the polymerase chain reaction technique in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

BACKGROUND: A number of reports have studied associations between Hodgkin's disease and HLA. Some of them established correlation between several antigens and Hodgkin's disease, and others found no correlations. METHODS: The HLA DP locus was determined by the polymerase chain reaction method in 31 Hodgkin's disease patients and 58 healthy controls. RESULTS: No significant difference between patients and controls was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigations are needed to confirm the hypothesis of a possible role of the HLA complex as one of the factors involved in Hodgkin's disease.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1980

[The nature of surgical "risk"].

The set of unfavourable events consequent on anesthesiological treatment (or more generally on operating procedures) and commonly called anaesthesiological "risk" (or more generally operating "risk") is not a collection of contingencies but would appear to correspond to definite typologies which are discussed in the paper. Study of this subject is of particular interest at the moment when in other respects anesthesiology seems to have attained, a high level of technical maturity. In any case, even in the absence of other findings, a certain type of accident appears open to control and reduction by means of appropriate measures of organizational type. Another series of accidents seems to derive in effect from an underestimation of the impact which anaesthesiological (together with surgical) aggression produces on the patient's biological reserves. For a more through assessment of these interactions, a classification of total operating risk is proposed. While this for the moment is merely a working hypothesis, it could in the future prove an effective probability "predictor" of operating risk.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1979

[Measurement of compliance and resistance to respiratory airflow in the course of mechanical ventilation].

The importance in resuscitation treatment of the measurement of air ways flow resistance and compliance is stressed. In this regard, attention is paid to the possibility of utilizing the automatic respiratory (recording the mouth pressure curve) as an authentic measuring apparatus for these factors. Research into mechanical models and real patients also points to the possibility (seemingly not reported up to now) of measuring expiratory resistance independently and of highlighting air-trapping phenomena.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The chemiolysis of the hypophysis: a technical improvement (author's transl)].

The anesthesist is very often asked to manage severe painful syndromes in patients suffering widespread malignant tumours. So often, the extent of neoplastic diffusion is such that common technics for analgesic block cannot be performed. The chemiolysis of the hypophysis-according to Moricca-performed primarily for therapeutic purposes has also shown a powerful analgesic effect.

Analgesia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Radioimmunoassisted follow-up and surgery vs traditional examinations and surgery after radical excision of colorectal cancer.

The authors report their experience in the radioimmunodetection of recurrent colorectal cancer in comparison with traditional examinations. 485 patients were studied after radical surgery for colorectal cancer: 168 (Group 1) were studied with a radioimmunoassisted follow-up plan including: Immunoscintigraphy (IS), serum markers assays, Radioimmunoguided Endoscopy (RIGE), Intraoperative Radioimmuno-localization (IORIL) in case of reoperation; 317 (Group 2) underwent a protocol with traditional examinations. In 24 patients of Group 1 IS was performed even at the time of their admission for primary cancer. 7 patients underwent RIGE for primary cancer and 16 in the follow-up. IORIL was performed in 12 patients with primary cancer and in 16 in the course of reoperation. The radioimmunodiagnostic methods were performed after a single administration of the radiolabeled MAb (111In F(ab')2 a-CEA and 111In B72.3). The radioimmunoassisted follow-up plan detected a greater number of recurrences than traditional examinations (27% vs 13%). The rates of radical reoperation in Group 1 and 2 were 61% and 37% respectively. 33% of the patients of Group 2 were alive 24 months after radical reoperation vs 62.5% of the patients of Group 1. Immunoscintigraphy demonstrated a good sensitivity and specificity, mainly in the detection of pelvic recurrences (sens. 92%, spec. 84%). The radioimmunoassisted follow-up plan was well accepted by the patients. RIGE led to the detection of 3 periluminal recurrences of rectal cancer that traditional investigations failed to demonstrate and in 5 cases influenced the patients management. IORIL detected minimal tumor foci (2 mm.) where pre and intraoperative study were negative, while the histopathologic examination gave evidence of tumor. Considering that the costs of the radioimmunodiagnostic methods and of traditional examinations are very similar, we can conclude that the radioimmunoassisted follow-up plan has a favorable cost/benefit rate and a remarkable impact on the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

Aged↗